Warren County schools re-arrange calendar after Hurricane Sandy

Public schools state-wide are deciding how to make up the days they lost after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on facilities, roads and power lines.

In Warren County, most schools lost a week or more of instruction time — lost time that could become problematic if there’s snow storms this year.

Schools from the North Warren Regional district missed seven days, said Brian Fogelson, superintendent of the district. He said the district has also decided to make up two of the days during the canceled NJEA convention.

Martin Luther King Day will become a full day for students and staff as well as the Friday of President’s weekend, Fogelson said.

The school board was reluctant to take days away from spring break, but Fogelson says the next step could be taking days away from that break or having school on Saturdays, depending on how the severity of winter.

Hackettstown and Great Meadows public schools each lost five days of instruction, said the district’s shared superintendent, David Mango.

Both districts made up two of the days after the New Jersey Education Association convention, scheduled for Thursday and Friday last week, was canceled. With four days built into the school calendar, each of the two districts is left with one day to safeguard from snowstorms and other emergencies.

In Great Meadows, days will be added to the calendar at the end of the year in June. That option is not available at Hackettstown, Mango said, and snow-related cancellations will cut into spring break, beginning with the last day of the break and working backwards.